Virtual reality (VR) has the ability to transform the training experience in skilled trades, such as electrical construction, by putting virtual tools and objects in trainees’ hands and making them active participants in the tasks they are learning. Traditional training, by comparison, is often more passive, as students are less directly involved in the lesson being delivered. Testing the effectiveness of active VR training is crucial for understanding its usefulness for preparing future generations of tradespeople.
In 2023, Transfr conducted an experiment to compare the impact of actively using a VR training simulation versus passively viewing a recording of the identical sim content. Participants were local community members in Louisville, KY with no prior experience performing the tasks they were trained on. The experiment assessed learners’ ability to transfer and retain knowledge from a skills-training lesson to the real world. Learners were also asked how appealing they found the lesson to be.
Remarkably, we found that, for learning purposes, VR was not only as good as but actually better than training in the real world. It may be that the highly private and immersive nature of VR helps learners focus, making the experience more memorable and also more enjoyable.
Keith Lyle, PhD
Director, Learning Sciences
Learners remembered more from a sim when they played it compared to passively watching someone else play it. When given real tools and objects, learners correctly performed 62% of the steps in the actively-trained task versus only 51% for the passively-trained task, a statistically significant difference: t(23) = 2.24, p < .05, d = 0.46. It’s estimated that 68% of students will learn better via active training versus passive.
Participants enjoyed playing sims much more than watching a recording and found it much easier to pay attention to lesson content when playing versus watching. When actively playing a sim, versus passively watching, participants reported enjoying the lesson 34% more and found it 32% easier to pay attention. It’s estimated that 86% of students will enjoy active learning more than passive methods and 80% will find it easier to pay attention.
My experience in learning job related skills using interactive VR simulations has given me more confidence in my ability to quickly learn new jobs. I hope to see this form of training in the future! Anonymous study participant, 33 years old
Anonymous study participant
33 years old
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